Tuesday, 29 June 2010

As promised, another journey back to our Soul beginings in the 60's. The mix includes an Edwin Starr classic (remember meeting him years ago at a south coast Soul weekend and was a lovely bloke), Martha Reeves & the Vandellas and a northern stomper from Cindy Scott who went on to have 'rare groove' success as Sundray Tucker in the 70's (and is still performing!).

Also big news for Rare Groove fans - a couple of gigs coming up soon at the O2 in London:- July 16th- Gwen Mcrae, Jones Girls, Jean Carne and August 19th Giants of Rare Groove ft Leroy Hutson and Greg Perry. Must be worth a look if your in the South of England and you're into Soul (and not sure what you are doing on this blog if you aint!!!)

Friday, 25 June 2010

Our blog intro mentions the fact that alot of people are only exposed to some of the music we play via Samples. I dont even know if this is so much the case anymore, as the new phase of Hip Hop seems reliant on a drum machine and autotune, and modern soul music is moving more towards organic instruments.

But what the hell, If you like your hip hop and soul and have a bit of a collection you may be interested in hearing some of these tunes and finding out where the music track actually came from!

The tracklist includes the tracks and what tunes sampled them so you can refer back if you wish. For this volume we are concentrating on Soul and Jazz that have been sampled by the likes of Jay-Z, A tribe called quest, Busta Rhymes, Dr Dre, Notorious B.I.G, Hi-Tek and more.

Enjoy, Grizz back next week with some 60's soul I believe! Who says we dont give you a bit of everything!

Monday, 21 June 2010

Its been a while since I hit my Lovers Rock crates so time for a 'reggae got soul' vibe. Some nice Summery Lovers tunes on this one with an Arema classic, the Private I's covering Major Harris and a version excursion including old timer Myna Hague.

Hopefully this will keep you 'winding' around the front room til our next portion of goodness at the weekend courtesy of SoulNRnB. I've some 60's Soul on the mixing decks for next week, so see you soon!

Thursday, 17 June 2010

Early Post this week as I intend to watch England play in the World Cup and will be busy hoping they dont drop the ball!! (Thats what you get for playing a West Ham goalie Grizz!!)

So, heres this months Street Sounds sessions for you all. Theres been a wealth of new tunes sneaking under the radar with upcoming mixes featuring new stuff from Faith Evans, Mary J, Eric Roberson, Dwele, Slakah the Beatchild, Zo! , Phonte and more......

But this month we have some great tunes from Green Tea, a Jay Dilla produced tune from Iman Williams , and the cover star Jose James.

Grizz back next week (Hopefully in good mood after the England game) with more music for your soul!

Tuesday, 15 June 2010

Now this blog is all about championing soulful black music from the last 40+ years and this mix does just that albiet from a slightly different angle. This mix features the white guys and girls from the 70's and 80's who borrowed the soul for a while and then gave it back in the same good shape they got given it. We're not talking bout the imitators or wannabes here, these are are the guys who 'got it' and could belt it out with the best of 'em!

Mix includes, amongst others, Boz Scaggs, Tower of Power and the Average White Band (of course!).

Friday, 11 June 2010

Highly regarded in both Jazz and Soul circles, a producer and arranger who has also produced the biggest pop record of all time, Thriller.

I'm concentrating on some of his soul leaning productions of the 70's and 80's where his sound was instantly recognisable and where he utilised some of the greatest vocalists (Chaka Khan, Patti Austin) and writers (Stevie Wonder, Rod Temperton) of the time.

Quincy wrote arrangements for many musicians, including Ray Anthony, Count Basie (who became his mentor) and Tommy Dorsey and the Dizzy Gillespie Band. He worked with several singers, including Frank Sinatra, Billy Eckstine, Brook Benton, Dinah Washington (an association that included the 1956 album The Swingin' Miss' D), Johnny Mathis and Ray Charles (whom he had known since an early age).

In 1964, Quincy was promoted to vice-president of Mercury, thus becoming the first African American to hold such a position and in addition to playing music, he was busy writing and arranging, and was increasingly active as a record producer.

In the 70's and 80's, where I'm concentrating, he produced successful albums for Aretha Franklin, George Benson, Michael Jackson, the Brothers Johnson, Rufus and other popular artists. He worked through the 90's to a lesser extent with solo lp's, but productions have taken a back seat.

A great arranger, a great producer. Theres so much I have not touched from his Jazz and Funk work here thats remiss (Maybe Mr Grizz could oblige one day!) but these are some of his productions from back in the day that really made me love Soul Music as a young man.

A great extended version of the Stevie Wonder written "Betcha wouldnt hurt me" included here, one of my all time favourites! Enjoy until Grizz is back with you next week, tracklist in comments.

Tuesday, 8 June 2010

Summer is upon us in London and I love the sun! Whether its in the park, on the beach or in the back yard you just need an old soul n rare groove soundtrack to go with the rays and here it is! Ten tunes oozing all the good things bout this time of year like BBQ's, outdoor parties, Beer Gardens, Mr Whippy, the sea n sand, and girls busting out of their batty riders & crop tops!!!

Minnie Ripperton, Leroy Hutson, Jermain Jackson and a slight variation on a Roy Ayers anthem all feature in this week crate diggin'.

SoulNRnB here at the weekend and I'm back with the ol' school Soul next week!

Friday, 4 June 2010

They've been quite a success with you and im glad to see so many of you enjoying these live recordings from artists old and new, with us and passed on, all SOULFUL.

The final live mix includes newer artists like Incognito, Alicia Keys, Fertile Ground and Maxwell (with a great version of "Lifetime") together with Kool and the Gang, Al Green, Shalamar, the Jacksons etc etc.

I hope you've enjoyed these, and if you haven't got the other 3 LIVE mixes, check them out on our site.

I'm back with you next week with another GREAT PRODUCER (Who has a connection with an artist on this mix), meanwhile Grizz will be back after the weekend.